5th Gen. Weakness and Strength

Caught a really good comparison between the 5th Gen and GX460 from YouTube’s Lifestyle Overland. In the comments there’s a very well informed comment regarding the “underpowered” 4Runner. Personally I’ll take less power for longevity. I don’t think a lot of folks are aware of the trade-off.

 

Did anybody buy the bus expecting power? Its slower than shit.. but who wants to speed in this thing anyways. I wish it had a V10 diesel though.

 

This has been talked about by the Car Care Nut and Tinkerer. The engine is deliberately under-stressed to make it more dependable.

 

After researching my wants and needs, I bought it knowing what was to be expected from this platform. Longevity is a good selling point, However.

 

Just like Detroit Diesel 2 strokes, it doesn't make enough power to hurt itself.

 

Be grateful for the dual vvti the 4th 4Runner and 2nd gen Tacoma 1gr make 40 less horsepower!

 

I had a 2003 v8 4Runner that ran great. Then I had a 2007 v6 that never felt slow to me. Then I had a 2015 Ford F150 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 that still feels downright peppy to me. Then when I bought a pre-owned 2020 4Runner, it felt like it could barely get out of its own way. I was surprised at its "slowness". But I bought it for the reliability.

As it turned out, that particular one had not been treated well and had some issues, so I traded it in on a brand new 2024. Yes, it's slow but I don't care. It's fast enough for my needs and it should last me the rest of my life if I take care of it. I mainly drive the 4Runner, but I still have and use the F150 for some purposes. I'm always surprised by how much more responsive the 3.5 liter EcoBoost F150 is than the 4Runner.

 

Lifestyle overland is a great channel! The 1GR-FE is incredibly overbuilt compared to most engines and that brief write up documents that fact very well.

Personally I'm very happy with the power mine makes after OTT tuned it. The thing boogies now!

 

I might groan about it every now an then whenever I jump onto an on-ramp, and I’ve altered my driving routes to purposely select easier ramps, all in all I myself enjoy the lack of power. Coming from a quick Subaru WRX where I felt compelled to dart in and out of traffic like a rally car I’ve developed a more laid back, leisurely driving style with the 4Runner. All of a sudden I’m not in a rush getting somewhere. Because I can’t!

 

Who cares if it’s a slower, think of the savings on less speeding tickets, lower insurance as a result of less tickets, and lower maintenance costs. Not too mention I am sure we all could use some time in life where we take a little more time to smell the roses; theoretically saving on health care costs. I see a lot more wins.

 

Complaining in 2024 that the 4Runner’s too slow is like complaining that your spouse snores after you’ve already been married for 15 years. Seriously, by now I’d assume it’s no surprise to anyone.

Of course the trade-off for not being “fast” is that the 1GR-FE (2.0 version) is easily one of the five best motors that Toyota ever produced. I can live with that.

 

Lack of power doesn't imply reliability. Harleys are slow and aren't likely to last longer than a 600cc Japanese bike that makes more horsepower and turns 14000 rpm. Plenty of highly reliable gas turbos on the market. The 4.0L has been developed and refined for decades and it's certainly a benchmark for reliability but the folks in Australia want the 4.5L turbo diesel for reliability and it's making peak torque at 1200 rpm with much higher cylinder pressures than the 4.0 gas V6. It's not a simple trade-off, engineering matters. 4.0L has peak torque at 4400 rpm so it's not really available unless you go wide open throttle or shift manually. It would be interesting to time travel to see the reliability of the Toyota 2.4L and 3.4L turbos 10-15 years from now, right now there is only speculation.

 

Motor Trend is reporting the 2025 Land Cruiser with a zero-60 time of 8 seconds. Since this is the same 4 cylinder, turbo, hybrid the 6th gen 4Runner is using, all that new tech sure did not result in better performance.

 

I am vacationing at elevation and just can’t accept what a slug the 4.0 is up here. Zero responsiveness, any other vehicle behind makes it clear that this thing can’t keep up with traffic. Everything else walks away from it on grades. This is my biggest peev with the 4runner. The second is interior noise.
Also, the engine braking leaves a lot to be desired. I suspect the computer keeps the throttle cracked a bit due to emissions or keeping accessory rpm up.
Let’s build an engine with no low end torque and then set up the transmission to lug the snot out of it.

 

It’s not for everyone unfortunately sounds like you bought the wrong rig for your needs and wants

 

after 4 Tundras in a row for me the 4runner has taken alot of getting used to.... it is slow AF, there is no other way to describe it. I love it. But damn, it's scary slow. Whenever my wife borrows it she comes home asking me if there is something wrong with it.

 

I really don’t understand why anyone would buy a 4R for power. It’s clearly not built for speed or agility. It’s a big a** off road SUV, not a Lambo! The zero to 60 is slow AF but it WILL eventually get up and go. My husband drove it like he stole it flying down the highway between 90-100 mph. But he complained about it getting 14 mpg and paying so much for gas. I was able to get it up to 22.9 mpg but that was NOT highway driving. The sweet spot is about 50 mph to get the higher mpgs. I’m usually in no rush and stay out of the fast lane. I will get there when I get there but I will enjoy the sweet ride! What is lacking in power/speed is made up for in reliability and looks

 

Driven for 56 years. Even had a duce and a half license In the army. The 4Runner is the best vehicle I've ever owned. If I had the dough I'd buy a brand new one...

 

If you want the definition of slow, take a spin in my 3,800# 116hp 22RE. My 5th gen is comparatively a rocket.

 

Reading through all the posts, seems the issue may be throttle response. The engine isn't putting out the power that is expected from the gas pedal input. I installed a Sprint Booster 3 years ago. I don't have to mash the gas to get the power I want in a given situation. You can program the SB to suit your needs. From factory slo-mo to just touch the gas and it feels like you floored it mode. It is the absolutely the best mod I have done on my 4R. It doesn't give more power, but the response will put a smile on your face. I too was disappointed in the throttle from the factory. SB solved that issue.

 

I think you are correct in this. Further, I think the delay in throttle response is deliberate. It reduces the repetitive lurching caused by the right foot bouncing up and down on the accelerator when traversing moguls.

 

“underpowered” lol

4Runner has plenty of power. Its ~4500lbs and with only 270hp it's just as fast as my Mazda 3 GT and smokes my Expedition. Besides my Acura, this 4R is faster than every other car/truck i have ever owned. Plenty of off road torque too.

Sure it's no Raptor or small sports car, but it's certainly not underpowered.

 

4.0 power output is totally adequate on paper. The problem is that it's timed to make it at way too high RPM. Peak tq should be from off idle to 3k rpm, not at nearly 5k rpm. I'd even give up some peak HP for more tq at lower rpm.

 

It's incredibly underpowered. Just because you've only ever driven slow cars doesn't make the 4runner powerful lmao

 

I have driven some crazy fast cars, GTO, Chevelle, Charger... If you think the 4R is underpowered you must not have driven many car/trucks over the years, because there are some truly underpowered vehicles out there. And a lot of them.

I would also question why you would buy an underpowered vehicle if it's really that bad.

 

I had a good opportunity to “wheel” my 2020 Off Road recently in CO. Admittedly took harder lines than I’d planned and was out of my comfort level. Drove it back home to CA comfortably and as smooth as driving out without issue. If it’s strictly your city car and never sees a Jeep trail in its life it’s probably not the right fit for you. For what it can do: daily driver duty, go cross country and up 13k foot chunky mountain passes, get you back home and do it again reliably at 300k with regular maintenance it’s well worth the disadvantages: old, slow, poor fuel economy. Plus if you’re a DIY person. Tons of info out there, its so easy to work on.

 

Alot better than may grandpas 1984 Chevrolet Citation. Wild to see HP ratings of cars back in the 80s and 90s compared to the powerplants available today

 

My first car was a 75 Pinto with a 2300 and 3 speed automatic. Absolute dog. My second was a 77 Oldsmobile Cutlass with an Olds Rocket V8 350 with a Quadrajet. The car was a typical boat from the 70s. I have no idea what the horsepower rating was, but compared to today's cars it is a dog. It wasn't back then. That Oldsmobile was very reliable too.

 

I see the 4Runner's slowness as an asset rather than a hindrance. On a more positive note, I won't be pulled over for speeding anytime soon.

 

Unless you dive in with zero research, no one buys a 4Runner for "speed". The way I see it, it's an off-road vehicle that also happens to have decent pavement manners, and that's exactly what I wanted. The 1GR, while no powerhouse, is perfectly adequate for it's intended purpose.